Dangan Ronpa: The Grim Tales of the Forbidden Forest
by Arcade Rabbit
Summary: There were tales humanity has long forgot, only to be discovered again in the thrusts of despair when all is gone. And now that humanity has fallen into the darkest of despairs, it is only natural that they rediscovered lost memories. This story in particular embodies this very idea, with devastating results... (SYOC closed!) sorry for the wait, next chapter will be up soon!
1. Headmaster's Message

**A/N: Yay, it's happening! Yeah, I know everyone's done it, but it's my turn!**

…

…

**Don't look at me with those eyes. If you are. Anyway, after my, what, year-long break from writing, I've decided to pick up the slack! And after reading a few of these, and after playing through both Dangan Ronpa games, I've decided to do this. Wynaut? *headshot***

**And I'm also way into fantasy, which is this is fantasy-themed. You can't see it from the message, but do look at the next author's note for more info. Is there anything else I have to say…?**

**Penguins are awesome. That's it.**

* * *

**Headmaster's Message**

**[Recorded on 10/23, 1:32 AM. Playing on 1… 2… 3-]**

_Hope's Peak. Very little could be said about the academy that hasn't already been said. The academy, once known for being the prosperous beacon of hope it was, has fallen from grace and exposed its true nature. Perhaps you know the tale? Of course you do. You wouldn't be reading this otherwise. Of course, compared the information we know about the academy, there is a vast amount of things we do not know. What if it's all a lie? Nothing can be taken at face value._

_And that is only the tip of the iceberg. Junko Enoshima and the Ultimate Despair heralded the beginning of a dark tale in Earth's history. As in, only the beginning. Enoshima's influence is still strong, even after her demise. Her followers live on, spreading her message throughout the world. _

_I am laying it all too thin here. You do not want to know the entirety of the situation. You may call it a war. Not the type of war you're thinking of though. It's more of a war between hope and despair, two extremes of life facing off in an eternal battle. _

_Who is the winner? Well, that is up to you to decide. And you will have to make that decision VERY soon! I'm hoping you're up for the challenge. It won't be easy, given the circumstances..._

_**Kiya-kiya-kiya!**_

_Did you like that? It's my new trademarked laugh! It's supposed to rival my "brother's" laugh. Wait, who am I talking to? Helloooo! Helloooooo! Hmm... perhaps he is still knocked out... well, the estimated time of awakening is RIGHT NOW, but eh, those timers are always of._

SNAP!

_Whoops, that's my sign to skedaddle! I'll just leave you with this… I'm sure it will be very helpful…_

_**Kiya-kiya-kiya!**_

_Huh. I'm kind of disappointed. Maybe I should borrow "brother's" laugh? His is way more ominous!_

CLICK!

[Received: Rusty Key!]

* * *

**A/N: That was disappointing. I wanted to wait until I got all the characters to write up the official first chapter, but obviously, I can't do that.**

**This story takes place after the events of Dangan Ronpa 1, approximately two weeks after the School Life of Mutual Killing. The main setting is the "magical" forest of despair: Golden Apple Woods, and features standard elements such as magic and monsters, and the standard elements of Dangan Ronpa as well. That's really all that could be said at the moment. The rest, which will be revealed throughout the prologue, will hopefully be interesting enough to keep you hooked.**

**Are you wondering about the recording, or the snap and click sounds heard? Wonder what those are about… the person talking is also very suspicious. Is it… Monokuma? Or some other Mono-creature?**

**Now that we have our entire cast, I went ahead and took down the form from my profile and the first chapter. I'm sorry those who didn't make it in, or those who didn't get a chance... UWAH! *bursts into tears. Literally***

**But... you never know... *ominous laughing***

**For those of you who submitted characters and got accepted, expect a message from me later on. I'm quite busy at the moment, so I think the time you'll my PM will be at tonight... yeah. Don't worry about the contents, it's nothing serious :)**

**Roster for Grim Tales of the Forbidden Forest**

**MALES:**

**1\. **Nikko Shirogana, the SHSL Toy-Maker

**2\. **Hikaru Minami, the SHSL Track Star (submitted by Asian Mangoes)

**3\. **Kazuki Inoue, the SHSL Tactician (submitted by Asian Mangoes)

**4\. **Toshiro Kunikida, the SHSL Story-Teller (submitted by Mentosgoboom)

**5\. **Kaiji Hibiki, the SHSL Dealer (submitted by SDproductions)

**6\. **Akimitsu Hirofumi, the SHSL Volleyball Player (submitted by ChihiroF)

**7\. **Yusei Ishiyama, the SHSL Pyrotechnic (submitted by ThunderRaptor)

**8\. **Gen Arakaki, the SHSL Gardener (submitted by PoisonBanana)

**9\. **Kei Shimoda, the SHSL Manga Artist (submitted by Fujisaki-kun)

**10\. **Takumi Harusawa, the SHSL Performer (submitted by bamafelix)

**11\. **Nisehiro Akazukin, the SHSL Sheriff (submitted by The Internet Explorer)

**FEMALES**

**1\. **Miho Gozen, the SHSL Hitwoman (submitted by Mega Sableye)

**2\. **Yuka Tokarashi, the SHSL Chemist (submitted by RuneSenseii)

**3\. **Kuroko Mitzushima, the SHSL Painter (submitted by dashunterman)

**4\. **Yasu Torisawa, the SHSL Gumologist (submitted by Giga Bros)

**5\. **Makoto Akiyama, the SHSL Ballerina (submitted by Shiroikage)

**6\. **Tamaki Kudara, the SHSL Movie Star (submitted by ApexUtopia)

**7\. **13, the SHSL Assassin (submitted by OrangeEctasy)

**8\. **Nozomi Fusa, the SHSL Ice Skater (submitted by ChocoChipCookie1)

**9\. **Anne Riviére, the SHSL Abstract Artist (submitted by PsychoScissorFreak)

**10\. **Hanako Polo, the SHSL Traveler (submitted by PSISomething)

**11\. **Misaka Kio, the SHSL DJ (submitted by FireDusk)

**Man, I was hoping I could say more, but I'm rather tired at the moment… bummer. I'm kind of disappointed with myself for this, but I hope I see you guys soon!**


	2. Prologue, Part 1: The Day Before

**A/N: Heya! Bet you didn't expect to see me so soon, did ya! Well, I wrote this chapter out because I felt like the last chapter didn't really give you much of an idea on my writing style. So I hope this helps show how I write!**

**It also introduces the main character, Nikko. I hope to develop his personality over time, since as of now he's rather basic. **

**And on the topic of the characters, I've gotten lots of great characters! So many in fact, that it's going to take some time for me to choose them. *sniff, sniff* UWAH! I don't wanna choose, there's too many characters to choose from and I luv them all so much don't make me choose please don't make me-**

***breathe***

**ANYWAY, I already accepted some characters, as visible on my profile. I haven't gotten around to updating the roster on the first chapter, but i'll get to it eventually. With all the OCs I got, I might have to extend to roster from 16 to... I dunno, 24! But... we'll see what happens with that. Thank you to everyone who sent in one of those, I luv you guys so much! *kisses***

**Prologue, Part 1: The Day Before**

* * *

When the letter had arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. Compared to my sister, who nearly blew her lid when she saw the formal envelope in the mail. It was worth a laugh or two… or too many to count really.

I guess I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? Well, if I didn't, the entire story would be very confusing, wouldn't it? Heh heh. The name's **Nikko Shirogana**, the **Super High School Level Toy-Maker**.

* * *

**Nikko Shirogana**

**The Super High School Level Toy-Maker**

**Height: 5'2"**

**Weight: 112 lbs**

**Likes: Crafting, manga and anime, sweets**

**Dislikes: Being called small or cute, peanuts**

* * *

Yeah, I can tell what questions you're asking. "Letter what? What letter are you talking about?", "What's a Super High School Level", or "Toy-Maker? You're seriously a toy-maker? In high school?" Seems about right, no?

I'll try to explain everything. There's this school, Hope's Peak. You've heard of it, right? You can't live in Japan without at least hearing about Hope's Peak, unless you live under a rock for your whole life. In the simplest terms, Hope's Peak is a government-funded academy that gathers high school students around the country who excel in their respective fields, and prepares them for one goal- to bear the hope of the humanity's future. Seeing where it got its name does not take a high-scale investigation. Students who graduate from the school are said to have certain advantages in life above the rest.

Enrollment to Hope's Peak is by invitation only. There is a reserve department, but I won't delve into that topic right now. There are only two obvious requirements: you have to be a high-school student, and you must excel at what you do. That is all. In accordance to their particular skills, each student receives the title of "Super High School Level". Thus the title Super High School Level Toy-Maker (which I'll get to in a moment).

And the letter I mentioned was the academy's notification I had gotten accepted. And my sister was not happy, to say the least. She's always been jealous of me, that girl. I guess it's because I'm "daddy's favorite". Well, not as much as guess as know from all the times she's whined about it.

But I guess I can't hate her. After all, she's the reason I got into this school, as long-winded the reason is. Oh, warning, if you want to get on with the plot, I suggest you skip this part.

Alright, I guess I should get to myself and my talent, shouldn't I? When I was younger, I was very interested in making things, or crafting. Well, I had enough experience FIXING things, since I wasn't the most coordinated kid out there. I used to trip and break chairs, small toys, and other things, and as punishment, I had to fix them. At the moment, I was busying grumbling about it rather than thinking what a huge help it would be in my current career. Using the knowledge I gained while fixing stuff, I applied it to my craft.

My first official product was born when my sister was a baby. There's a five year difference between us, meaning she's about ten at the moment. She was always crying, and crying, and crying… nothing could ever stop her crying. But I guess at that time I felt sorry for her for whatever reason and went to make her something that could stop her from crying.

And long story short, Tai-Tai the Lazy Sheep was born. My sister loved it, and from then on, she was happier (until she forgot who made her Tai-Tai). Something apparently caught my father's eye (he was a businessman. The specifics are unknown to me), and he dragged me along to "sell" Tai-Tai to some business executive who specialized in a toy company. The memories are a bit foggy, given how young and unexperienced I was, but I understood that the meeting ended on a happy note. My father was celebrating for days with mother, dancing around like a monkey with a crab pinching its butt.

And that was the story that started my rise to fame. I would go on about that, but I already bothered your ears (eyes?) far too much. Let me bring you back to current day, the day before I was supposed to head off to Hope's Peak. I currently stood in my workshop.

The workshop was nothing impressive really. My notes and designs for toys were scattered about, mostly in a messy heap on the desk, and the tools and materials were misplaced and all over the place (unintentional rhyme is unintentional). However, there was a mirror on one corner of the room I used to check my appearance for tomorrow. If there is one thing my uncle taught me besides "drugs are the best" (a lesson I will not look further into), is first impressions are everything.

My main problem with my appearance in general is… well, my childlike looks. Yes, I admit it, I look like a middle-schooler. People often call me "adorable", a term which I've come to hate. I want to be respected as the mature fifteen-year old I was, not looked down as a child. Agreeably, I could see why some people WOULD call me that. There was no denying that I haven't properly developed into my age.

I am petite and skinny, with pale skin (I don't get out much okay. I'm mostly working on my craft). My eyes were large and a light shade of blue, and my face is sprinkled with freckles. There's also the case of my hair, which was a light shade of blonde, and has often been compared to a chick's fluff. My hands, however, were the only things that didn't scream "child". After so many years of work, they've been bruised and beaten to the point that it makes people uncomfortable to be around me.

I'll try my best not to burden you with my whining. At the time, I was getting dressed, preparing my supplies and such. The outfit I planned to wear made clear I was the Super High School Toy-Maker, a title which I will wear with pride. It consisted of a yellow buttoned-up shirt and dark brown shorts with matching suspenders connecting the two. My shoes weren't so noticeable: they were simple black shoes with long white socks. My legs were consistently covered with bandages since, as a mentioned before, I wasn't the most coordinated child. My bruised hands were covered by brown gloves. There was also a red bow-tie around my collar, because why not?

And to top it all off was my backpack: a Tai-Tai doll with drown straps. Yes, I know if I want to be taken more seriously, I should stop carrying this around, but… C'MON IT'S TOO ADORABLE. Erherm, and I need to have something to keep all my sweets in. What? I need my sweets. It's how I make it through the day.

Checking myself out in the mirror, I'd say my outfit was fine enough, at least to make an impression. "Huh, that's what you're going with? What are you, a German kid going to a little kid's party?"

I turned around and found her standing at the door to the workshop. Satoko Shirogana, also dubbed as the Super Elementary School Level Annoying Brat. Disappointedly, she was around 4'9", meaning despite the five-year gap in ages, we were close in height. It bothers me to no extent.

"Satoko, I don't care what you think. What do you know about fashion anyway?" I snapped, glaring at the ten-year old.

"Look who's talking!" Satoko returned the glare, as she always did. Kids right? I didn't have time for her, anyway. I had to prepare for tomorrow. She had better things to do too, like her homework. I slid pass her without as much as a glance.

"H-hey, don't ignore me! I have other insults to say, and they only work for you! Um, Nikko come back!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. I almost felt sorry for her… almost.

* * *

With the excitement of me going off to Hope's Peak, the night and the morning passed by in a blur. After saying our goodbyes to my father and mother, and managing to get Satoko to say good-bye to me (and most surprising of all, she was actually sad and crying and everything! She really did love me!) I left for the academy.

I was positively thrilled. To have such an opportunity… I was truly grateful. To be honest, I never expected myself to get in. Sure, my father would always boast that there's no doubt I would be scouted by the academy, but I thought the inverse. I'm a TOY-MAKER. Such a silly talent as that has no reason to mingle around such people as the SHSL FIGHTER, or the SHSL AFFLUENT PROGENY. And another wave of fear hit me: my classmates. Would they look down upon me? What type of people were they? Would we get along?

Fear had settled into my mind, rooting itself deep within. _Would I be accepted in such a place? _There was only way to find out…

I tried to shake off these feelings of unease. It's supposed to be a happy day! I at least had to try to fit in before freaking out and sulking in my shame.

After these pensive thoughts have faded away, I found myself at the steps of Hope's Peak. I did not realize I'd arrive this soon… it was closer than I expected. _Hope's Peak… Hope's Peak… what could be said that already hasn't? The opening ceremony that I had to go to was only half an hour away… well, no point waiting then. I should at least get acquainted with the school, and maybe my other classmates._

With hesitant steps, I walked towards the twin doors that lead to Hope's Peak. Odd isn't it, that such a simple thing as "walking" would be considered so dramatic in this type of situation? It was certainly an interesting phenomena.

Oh, look at me, wasting your time. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the twin doors open and took my first steps into the school. The school's inside was only visible for a fraction of a second before the entire world disappeared.

I didn't have much time to react. My body and mind felt heavy, too heavy to processwhat was going on. My surrounding seemed to quickly fade away until everything around me was white. My emotions, my mind, everything was compressed so thin I felt like I no longer existed.

And then, even my consciousness disappeared.

* * *

_W-what happened?_

Those were my first thoughts as I staggered awake. My second thoughts were that I was no longer in Hope's Peak. In fact, I couldn't quite tell where I was. Darkness dominated the area, severely limiting my vision. However, I could feel that the ground was hard and… it felt like cobblestone really. Uneven patterns of stone. It felt quite uncomfortable to sit on.

There was the continuous sound of dripping water. _Drip! Drip! Drip! _It sounded like it was close-by, but I certainly didn't feel anything wet. I couldn't quite smell anything that stood out.

"H-hello?" I tried calling out, trying to get a response. It usually doesn't work, so I had no hope that someone would be here wi-

_**Kiya-Kiya-Kiya!**_

"Sorry for holding you up, buuuuddy! Seems like you're in a tight fix, aren't ya! Don't worry, I'll get ya out of it, no strings attached!"

A childlike voice filled the room, accompanied by the sound of scuffling feet. In the span of the second, light filled to room, revealing to me the contents of my prison. But before I could fully access my situation, my eyes were treated to an odd scene.

There was a small creature standing in front of me. It was wearing a blue wizard's robe, which was way too big for it and flopped onto the ground. To accompany the robe, it also wore a wizard's hat of the same color. Its face was black and white, divided into two sides. The only features visible, however, were its eyes: one black dot on the white side, and a red lightning bolt on the black side (at least I assumed it was a lightning bolt). But what stood out most was the staff it was carrying: a wooden stick that was topped off by a four-pointed star. It kinda reminded me of one of the black wizards from… whats-it-called? Last Imagination?

Needless to say, I was really out of it. In the span of a few minutes, I fainted at the entrance of Hope's Peak, find myself in this cell, and meet this thing. I had convinced myself this was a dream. There's just no way this can happen in real life. It can't.

"But… it is real life Nikko!" The strange creature said, pointing its staff at me. "Just because it doesn't fit your pre-conceived notions of reality doesn't mean it isn't REAL. I mean, that's the entire reason ideas like the Loch Ness Monster exist right?"

On an unrelated note, I really want to have a plushie of this guy. Could make a nice new project to work on…

Back on topic, I simply stared at the tiny wizard. "Wow, you're an adorable little guy!" I wasn't thinking clearly, obviously.

That seemed to press its berserk button however. The wizard glared at me (I think. It's hard to tell), and shoved the sharp point of the star to my chest. "Hah, like you should be talking, cutie-pie! I am **Monomage**, the most powerful of all mages in this realm!"

"Monomage's" (really, that's his name?) eyes widened in shock. "Oh, whoops! I didn't mean to say that! Well, I guess I can let it slip. Hopefully master won't get angry with me… Oooh, last time that happened was awful… but anyway, I guess I should go! You aren't even supposed to meet me yet, less of all be here!"

"W-wait!" I yelled out, trying to reach out for Monomage. "Wh-what's going on here?! What happened to Hope's Peak!?"

Monomage cocked his head. "Forget about that place. It's not important anymore. All you need to know… is to wake up!"

SNAP!

* * *

**A/N: And we meet Monomage, the Monokuma of this story, and Nikko, the Makoto of the story! There's not much to them as of now, but the obvious is obvious. To clarify, this takes place BEFORE Headmaster's Message (last chapter), but I won't go too deep into it.**

**And now, for my replies to the lovelies who reviewed!**

**SDProductions: **Oh yes, I have lots of things and surprises in store. This is definitely one of the zanier SYOCs I could think of, but hey, the zanier, the better! It seems you got your wish for more however :3

**Kizi1999: **Like with SD above, looks like you got your wish! And not even a day after! So much for taking your time, eh?


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